How to choose discount railway ticket and pass for the trip in Kansai area

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara
Katsura river in Arashiyama, Kyoto is very popular in Spring and Fall. ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO
2011.11.27
Dotonbori (道頓堀) is one of the popular spot around Osaka Namba area. ©JNTO
Dotonbori (道頓堀) is one of the popular spot around Osaka Namba area. ©JNTO

There are JR lines and lots of private railway lines, such as Hankyu, Hanshin, Kintetsu and Keihan in Kansai area. There are so many kinds of ticket or passes as well. It makes you confused to choose it.

In this post, I would like to share the information about the discount tickets and passes that cover Kansai area.

Kansai Thru Pass

  • Online purchasing price (2-day) – Adult : 4,300 yen / Child : 2,150 yen
  • Online purchasing price (3-day) – Adult : 5,300 yen / Child : 2,650 yen
  • Coverage – All Non JR lines, subway lines and city bus in whole part of Kansai area
  • Valid period – 2 or 3 days (not required using in consecutive days)

This is the most recommend one. This pass includes all major private lines and subway lines, such as Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan, Kintetsu, Nankai, Osaka Metro and Kyoto Subway. You can access Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Mt. Koya, Kansai airport, Wakayama and many more place. This pass is sold at 5,300 yen for 3-days and 4,300 yen for 2 days. It gives you the greatest value in any railway pass of Kansai area. But if you think about only round trip between Kyoto and Osaka, the regular fare may be cheaper. Please see the details at the post in the link below:

How to use Kansai Thru Pass. Compare pass and single fare.
Kansai thru pass is one of the best option to travel in Kansai area, such as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Himeji, Wakayama, Koyasan. This post shows you how to use this pass.
jprail.com
2012.10.07

JR West Rail Pass – Kansai Area Pass

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 2,200 yen / Child : 1,100 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 4,300 yen / Child : 2,150 yen
  • Price (3-day) – Adult : 5,300 yen / Child : 2,650 yen
  • Price (4-day) – Adult : 6,300 yen / Child : 3,150 yen
  • Coverage – All JR railway lines in whole part of Kansai area
  • Valid period – 1 to 4 days (midnight to midnight)
Limited Express Haruka connects Kansai airport and Kyoto via Tennoji and Shin-Osaka. This is covered by Kansai area pass.
Limited Express Haruka connects Kansai airport and Kyoto via Tennoji and Shin-Osaka. This is covered by Kansai area pass.

This pass includes most of JR lines in Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji and Kansai airport. But the Shinkansen and all express trains are not covered except Kansai airport express “Haruka”. Please see the details about this pass in the link below:

How to use JR West Kansai Area Pass. Compare pass and single fare.
This posts explains you how to use Kansai Area Pass. It is one of JR West rail passes and it covers whole part of Kansai area.
jprail.com
2012.10.19

Hankyu Tourist Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 700 yen / Child:Not available
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 1,200 yen / Child:not available
  • Coverage – All Hankyu railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

Hankyu Railway operates trains among Umeda (Osaka), Takarazuka, Kawaramachi (Kyoto near Gion), Arashiyama (Kyoto) and Kobe (Sannomiya). The price of this deal is very attractive to cover three cities, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. If you access to Kobe-Sannomiya from Umeda, single fare is 320 yen. If you access to Kyoto-Kawaramachi from Umeda, single fare is 400 yen. You can get the worth of one day pass by one round trip to Kyoto-Kawaramachi from Umeda. If you look for deal to access to just Kobe, Arashiyama and Gion area, this is a good choice.

But if you want to visit all part of Kyoto and many places in Kobe, Kansai Thru Pass is better choice. Because you have to take other train or bus than Hankyu Railway. Kansai Thru Pass covers all.

Please see the link below to find more information:

Hankyu Railway official site- Hankyu Tourist Pass

Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 700 yen / Child : 350 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 1,000 yen / Child : 700 yen
  • Coverage – All Keihan railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

Keihan Railway connects Yodoyabashi (Osaka) and Demachiyanagi (Kyoto). It covers Kyoto and Osaka only but the price is cheaper than Hankyu Tourist Pass. And many places in Kyoto are located along Keihan Railway. Fushimi Inari shrine, Uji, Kiyomizu-dera temple and many places in Higashiyama area can be accessed from Keihan Railway stations.

This pass has same issue as Hankyu Tourist Pass. You may have to take subway to get Keihan Railway station in Osaka, such as Yodoyabashi, Nakanoshima, Kitahama, Temmabashi and Kyobashi. And when you visit western part of Kyoto, such as Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji temple, you have to pay extra to access this place. Kansai Thru Pass may be better choice if you have another trip(s).

Please see the link below to find more information about Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass:

Keihan Railway official site – Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass

Kintetsu Rail Pass one day and two days

  • Price (1-day) – Adult : 1,500 yen / Child : 750 yen
  • Price (2-day) – Adult : 2,500 yen / Child : 1,250 yen
  • Coverage – All Keihan railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight) and two days (must be used in consecutive days)

This deals covers Kintetsu Railway in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.

In Nara, many of places can be accessed by walk from the station. But this deal can take you to Kyoto station only You cannot use this deal to access to most of places in Kyoto.

Please see the link below to find more information about Kintetsu Rail Pass:

Kintetsu Railway official site – Kintetsu Rail Pass

Hanshin Tourist Pass

  • Price – Adult:700 yen / Child:Not available
  • Coverage – All Hanshin railway lines
  • Valid period – one day (midnight to midnight)

Hanshin Railway operate trains among Umeda (Osaka), Osaka-Namba, Kousoku-Kobe and Kobe (Sannomiya). The price of this deal is very attractive. If you access to Kobe-Sannomiya from Osaka-Nmaba, single fare is 410 yen. It is paid off by just one round trip. If you look for deal to access to just Kobe, this is the one for your trip.

However if you access to Arima-Onsen and/or Himeji, Kansai Thru Pass or Kansai Area Pass may be better choice.

Please see the link below to find more information about Hanshin Tourist Pass:

Hanshin Railway official site – Hanshin Tourist Pass

Kansai Wide Area Pass

Kyushu Shinkansen Sakura and Mizuho give you direct trainsfer to Shin-Osaka from Kyusyu.
All Shinkansen trains non reserved seat on Sanyo Shinkansen are covered by this deal.

If you may travel both inside and outside of Kansai area, Kansai Wide Area Pass is the best choice. You can get same coverage as Kansai area pass in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, Himeji and Wakayama. And also this pass covers Kinosaki Onsen, Shirahama, Kii-Katsuura, Shingu, Okayama, Kurashiki and even Takamatsu in Shikoku. You can take non reserved seat on limited express trains and Sanyo Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Okayama. Please find more information in the post below:

Kansai WIDE Area Pass user guide. The best deal for the traveler who want to travel Kansai and surrounding areas, such as Okayama, Kurashiki, Kinosaki and Kumano.
Kansai Wide Area Pass offers bigger coverage area than Kansai Area Pass. This pass covers Kansai area and surrounding places, such as Kinosaki, Kurashiki, Okayama, Kii-Katsuura. Please find the details about Kansai Wide Area Pass in this post.
jprail.com
2012.04.26

ICOCA and Kansai One Pass

ICOCA is most popular IC card in Kansai area. (C) タンジェント (own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
ICOCA is most popular IC card in Kansai area. (C) タンジェント (own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

You may use these cards to take any trains and buses in all Kansai area. You can use even other area’s card, such as Suica, Pasmo too. These cards give you convenience. You can avoid to purchase a ticket whenever you make a train trip. You can take any kinds of trains, such as JR, subway and Non JR trains. However these cards do not give you any discount and unlimited ride.

If you meet these following things, IC card is your choice.

1. You intend to visit a few places in a day.
2. You need to take several kinds of trains and buses, like subway, Hankyu, Keihan, JR.
3. You cannot fix your plan and want to have some flexibility.

However if you have day trip to other cities, such as day trip to Kyoto from Osaka, Kansai Thru Pass or Kansai Area Pass is better choice in most of cases.

Find your hotels in 500 cities throughout Japan!!!

Hotels in Kyoto
Hotels in Osaka
Hotels in Kansai International Airport
Hotels in Nara
Hotels in Kobe

Kansai One Pass

This is same type of card as ICOCA. You can use this pass by same way as ICOCA. But this card is designed for overseas tourist. Preload amount is 2,500 yen (plus 500 yen deposit and sold at 3,000 yen) and you can get discount at many attractions. ICOCA is sold at any JR stations throughout Kansai area. But Kansai One Pass is sold in the designated stations only. Please see the link below to find the detailed information at official site.

Kansai One Pass official site

For traveler who use national or regional pass

If you use JR pass (national pass) or other regional deal, such as Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, JR train network in Kansai area is covered. You may have same or better coverage than Kansai Wide Area Pass. If you use these passes, please try to use this pass as much as you can. I think you may add only city deal, such as bus pass in Kyoto.

For the traveler who stay in Kyoto or Osaka and visit inside city only

These above deals are too much for the city sightseeing only. You may find the deals in the links below:

How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Kyoto
How to choose the best train pass for sightseeing in Osaka

I hope you get the best deal in this post and enjoy your trip in Kansai area.

Comments

  1. Shirley says:
    October 2, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    Hello!
    We will be in Japan late Oct to Nov. We were wondering which card we should purchase. Appreciate your help.

    Day 1 Osaka late arrival Hotel New Hankyu
    Day 2 Osaka – Nissin Ramen Museum, Osaka Castle, Kuromon Ichiba Market, Dontoburi
    Day 3 Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Osaka Science Museum
    Day 4 Kyoto- Stay at Ibis, Kyoto. Fushimi Inari Shrine, Philosopher’s Path
    Day 5 Kyoto- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
    Day 6 Kyoto- Toei Kyoto Studio Park, Gion, International Manga Museum
    Day 7 Day trip to Nara
    Day 8 Fly home

  2. Kenneth Lee says:
    September 14, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    We will be in Japan for 11 days. I need your advice which pass is the best for our trip. Here is our brief itinerary:

    Day 1
    Kansai Airport – Himeji
    Himeji – Kobe
    Kobe – Osaka

    * We plan to use One Day Kansai Area Pass for Day 1.

    Day 2
    Osaka – Hiroshima
    Hiroshima – Tokyo

    * We will activate our 7 Days JR Pass on Day 2.

    Day 3
    Tokyo

    Day 4
    Tokyo

    Day 5
    Tokyo – Nagano – Takayama

    Day 6
    Takayama – Tokyo

    Day 7
    Tokyo

    Day 8
    Tokyo – Himeji

    * Day 8 will be the last day of our JR Pass and we plan on taking Sunrise Izumo overnight train from Tokyo to Himeji.

    Day 9
    Himeji – Kyoto
    Sagano Scenic Railway (JR Sagano Line)
    Togetsu-kyo Bridge
    Tenryū-ji
    Arashiyama Bamboo Groves
    Gion
    Kyoto – Osaka

    * We will arrive at Himeji Station at 5:25 am and will go straight to Kyoto. Would you suggest on using any pass for Day 9 to cover the cost of taking the train from Himeji to Kyoto? Or we should just buy a single ticket from Himeji to Kyoto and buy other passes for sightseeing around Kyoto?

    Day 10
    Osaka – Kyoto
    Kiyomizudera
    Ryoanji
    Fushimi Inari
    Kyoto – Osaka

    Day 11
    Osaka – Nara
    Horyuji
    Nara Park
    Nara – Kainsai Airport

    Hope you can recommend us the pass to use for Day 1 and Day 9-11. Thanks.

  3. jess goh says:
    August 8, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    Hi,

    Can you advise any pass or tic I shld purchase for below itinerary:
    Think to get the Kansai Hokuriku Pass for 7 days to use for D1-7 is it worth it..thks

    D1-Kansai airport-Kyoto station
    D2-Kyoto tour-Southern & eastern part (Fushimi,Kiyomizu,Chion in,Nijo castle,Gion)
    D3-Kyoto -Ginkakuji in morning and Arashiyama in aft,Daimaru area in night
    D4-Kyoto -Nara day trip and Daimaru at night
    D5 -Kyoto to Kanazawa (Overnight Kanazawa)
    D6-Kanazawa to shirakawago (Overnight Kanazawa)
    D7-Kanazawa back to Osaka
    D8 -Explore Osaka -Osaka castle,Dotonburi etc
    D9 -Explore Osaka
    D10-Osaka back Kansai Airport

    thks

  4. Beh Aaron says:
    August 1, 2017 at 12:44 am

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    I am planning to travel around Kansai region for 6 days sometime late August. Here’s my itinerary with notes on my daily transportation plan:-

    Day 1 (Osaka)
    Arrival at Kansai Airport
    Dotonbori
    *Purchase single ticket*

    Day 2 (Osaka)
    Osaka Castle
    Shitennoji Temple
    Daimaru Umeda
    Shinsekai
    *Osaka’s Visitors’ Ticket*

    Day 3 (Osaka)
    Universal Studios Japan
    Shinsaibashisuji Street
    *Purchase individual tickets*

    Day 4 (Kyoto)
    Yamazaki Distillery
    Arashiyama
    Fushimi Inari Taisha
    *Kansai Thru Pass*

    Day 5 (Nara + Kobe)
    Nara deer park
    Todaiji temple
    Nakanishi Yosaburo
    Arima Onsen
    *Kansai Thru Pass*

    Day 6 (Kobe)
    Mount Rokko
    Nunobiki Herb Garden
    Tor Road Steak Aoyama
    *Buy individual tickets*

    It would be great if you could give me any insights to improve on the travel plan. Thank you very much for your time.

    Best regards,
    Beh Aaron

  5. Renee says:
    July 12, 2017 at 3:00 am

    Hi takeshi san,
    What’s the difference between kansai one pass and kansai thru pass? It seems the same to me. Both can be used on most railway in osaka and kyoto except kansai thru pass sold in 2 or 3 days pass. Kansai one pass can be used as long as I have limit in it.

    Thank you.

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      July 12, 2017 at 6:00 am

      Hi Renee san,

      Actually it’s completely different.
      You can take any trains by Kanasi one pass but it does not give you unlimited ride. It gives you same value as regular ticket. But you don’t need to purchase a ticket one by one. All you can do is tapping the card to enter and exit ticket gate. The fare is subtracted from the card automatically. So you need to check the balance and you may need to add the fund into the card. You can do it at the ticket vending machine. The card is valid for 10 years from the last day of usage. So as long as you use the card, it’s valid almost forever.

      Kansai thru pass covers non JR trains, subway and city bus. It does not cover city bus. It’s valid for 2 or 3 days. It gives you unlimited ride. You can take the train as much as you want.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  6. Stephen Lee says:
    July 10, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    Hi Takeshi-San,

    Appreciate your helpfulness! Hope you could help a trip with my Family. I will be going to Nagoya on July 23 and will travel to different cities until Aug 5 when we depart. please see below itinerary. Thanks!

    Nagoya
    July 24 – Legoland
    July 24 – Nagoya Castle
    July 25 – Higashiyama Zoo leave for Tokyo

    Tokyo
    July 25 – Airbnb, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Fuunji
    July 26 – Tukiji Market, Hama rikyu Garden, Imperial Palace East Gardens
    July 27 – Ueno Park, Tokyo National museum, Akihabara
    July 28 – leave for Kyoto

    Kyoto
    July 28 – Airbnb, Higashihonganji Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine
    July 29 – Nara
    July 30 – Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto Gion Shinbashi,
    July 31 – Kinkaku Ji (Golden Pavilion), (Ryoanji Temple), Arashiyama bamboo grove,
    Aug 1 – Nishiki Market , Leave for Osaka

    Osaka
    Aug 1 – Airbnb, Minami (Namba)
    Aug 2 – Nissin Ramen Museum, Osaka Castle, Kuromon Ichiba Market
    Aug 3 – Universal Studios
    Aug 4 – Tennoji Park and Zoo, Tenmangu Shrine
    Aug 5 – Departure

    Thank you!

  7. Jaye says:
    July 9, 2017 at 10:51 pm

    Hi Takeshi,
    Can you tell me which pass would be the best for my family. There will be 4 adults and 1 child. We will be staying 7 days in Osaka. We need to get from the airport to hotel and end of trip back to airport. For Osaka, we plan to visit the Osaka aquarium, osaka river cruise, Osaka castle, Ferris wheel, dotonbori, konamon museum, mimami, kemasa kuranimija park, Kuchu observatory, and Koromon market. For Kyoto, we plan to visit gion nishiki matket, kinkaku-ji temple, bamboo forest, Kyoto museum, arashiyama, botanical garden, and Katsura imperial villa. For Nara, we plan to visit the deer park, visitors center, Isvlen garden and wakakusa hill. There is so many passes to decide on. Please help us.
    Thank you.

  8. Haziq says:
    July 5, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Hi Takeshi,

    Need your kind assistance.

    Below is the draft of my itinerary

    Day 1 (KIX – Kyoto)
    – Arival at Kansai Airport (3 pm)
    – Go to Kyoto and check in accommodation
    – Dinner and walk around Kyoto City

    Day 2 (Kyoto)
    – fushimi inari
    – kiyomizu
    – ginkakoji
    – gion

    Day 3 (Kyoto)
    – kinkakuji
    – togetsukyo bridge
    – tenruji garden
    – bamboo groove
    – Go to Osaka and Check in Accommodation

    Day 4 (Kobe)
    – Kobe garden (mt rokko)
    – Kobe Tower
    – Kobe Habour

    Day 5 (Nara)
    – Deer Park
    – Isuien Garden
    – Dotonbori at Night

    Day 6 (Osaka – 1 day amazing pass)
    – Osaka castle, Santa maria cruise, Ferris wheel, sky building etc

    Day 7 (Osaka)
    – Shopping & Souvenir
    – depart from Kansai Airport (10 pm)

    In your opinion, what’s the best pass for the above itinerary.
    Should I re-arange the itinerary to maximize pass usage?

    TQVM 🙂

  9. Kratos says:
    July 5, 2017 at 1:09 am

    Hi Takeshi San,

    I will stay in Osaka (Sakuragawa station in Namba area) for 11 days and plan to visit the tourist spots in Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji. I plan to buy the following tickets/pass and would appreciate your view/help to find the best deals for those tickets/passes.

    1. Kanku Chikatoku Tickets for the airport transfer to and from the Sakuragawa station
    2. Hankyu Tourist Pass 2 days or Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass 2 days for Kyoto trip
    3. Kansai Thru Pass (2 days) for Nara/Himeji Castle
    4. Hanshin Tourist Pass for Kobe
    5. Osaka amazing pass for 2 days
    6. Osaka visitor ticket for touring around Osaka tour if I don’t go to Kyoto for the 3rd day

    If I have bought the Kyoto-Osaka sightseeing pass, do I still need to buy the Kyoto sightseeing 2-days pass card for travelling around the tourist spots in Kyoto ?

    My initial itinerary as follows:

    Day 1 – Airport to Sakuragawa station

    Day 2 – Osaka (Walking)
    Dotonbori
    Shinsaibashi
    Kuromon Ichiba Market

    Day 3 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Kyoto
    Kinkaku-ji Temple
    Kiyomizu Temple
    Fushimi Inari Taisha

    Day 4 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Kyoto
    Arashiyama (Tenryu-ji Temple, Bamboo forest & Iwatayama Monkey Park)

    Day 5 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Kyoto (Optional)
    Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Kyoto
    Gion
    Other tourist spots in Kyoto

    Day 6 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Nara
    Todai-ji Temple
    Sika Deer in Nara Park
    Kasuga Taisha Grand Shrine
    Higashimuki Shopping Street

    Day 7 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Himeji castle

    Day 8 – Round trip from Sakuragawa station to Kobe
    Maiko Marine Promenade (Akashi Kaikyo Bridge)
    Sannomiya Center Gai Shopping Street
    Kobe Harborland
    Tetsujin No. 28 Statue

    Day 9/10 – Osaka
    Osaka Castle
    Umeda Sky Building
    Shitennoji Temple
    etc

    Day 11 – Sakuragawa station to Airport

    • Takeshi / JPRail.com says:
      July 5, 2017 at 6:09 am

      Hi Kratos san,

      Hankyu Tourist Pass 2 days or Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass 2 days are cheaper than Kansai thru pass. But Hankyu Tourist Pass covers only Hankyu railway. Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass covers only Keihan railway. You need to pay single fare for getting Umeda (Hankyu) or Yodoyabashi (Keihan) by subway from Sakuragawa which is around 200 yen one way. And also you need to pay single fare or all day bus pass at 500 yen because you need access to the areas which is not on Keihan or Hankyu railway.

      On the other hand, Kansai thru pass covers both Hankyu and Keihan, And also it covers subway and city bus in Osaka and Kyoto. It’s more expensive but it covers more and more flexible. If you are pretty sure that you will visit the places in Kyoto on your list only, Keihan or Hankyu railway pass + additional may be cheaper but if you change your mind and visit more, Kansai thru pass may be cheaper.

      For trip to Kobe, Maiko is not in coverage area of Hanshin tourist pass. Kansai thru pass is better for this trip.

      So you may use 2 X 3 days Kansai thru pass to cover other than Osaka.

      Amazing pass is a good choice.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  10. Ivan says:
    July 3, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    Hi Takeshi!
    Loving your assistance and comments so far!

    I will be going to Japan from 8th Nov to 15th Nov:
    Please find my itinenary –

    Day 1 – 8th Nov
    Nankai airport to Namba
    Osaka Castle
    Dotonburi

    Day 2 – 9th Nov
    Minoo Park
    Tempozan Ferris Wheel
    Umeda for shopping

    Day 3 – 10th Nov
    Kyoto – Kinkakuji, Arashimaya, Nishiki Market, Gion
    Back to Namba

    Day 4 – 11th Nov
    Namba to Himeji Castle
    Himeji to Kobe
    Back to Namba

    Day 5 – 12th Nov
    Namba to Kyoto – Fushimi Inari
    Kyoto to Nara Park
    Back to Namba

    Day 6 -13th Nov
    Shinsekai
    Tsutenkaku Tower
    Den Den Town
    Shinsaibashi

    Day 7 – 14th Nov
    Kuromon market, Shinsaibashi, Dotonburi

    Day 8 – 15th Nov
    Namba to Kansai airport

    I have considered Nankai Thru Pass 3 Days from Day 3 to 5.
    Please advise on the other passes to purchase for the rest of the day.

    Domo Arigato!!

    Regards,

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